Two back-to-back meetings were held at Don Bosco Barpeta Road on 29 June 2026 to review and strengthen two Tata Trust-funded projects implemented by DB Tech in collaboration with the Salesian Province of Mary Help of Christians (ING). Fr Joy Kachappilly convened and chaired both sessions.
The morning meeting brought together the heads of the three skill training centres at Maligaon, Amguri, and Barpeta Road, along with DB Tech’s Regional Manager, Ms Ananya Kashyap; MIS Executive, Ms Puja Acharjee; and Placement Coordinator, Ms Anitha. Key decisions included a renewed focus on mobilising school dropouts rather than college-going students, who rarely opt for post-training placements. It was also clarified that all hostel students are entitled to the daily stipend of Rs 100 provided by DB Tech, allowing centres to reduce their collection from students to Rs 1,000 per month. The meeting emphasised the need for timely financial disbursements, early procurement of training materials, and — above all — proactive placement of candidates from the start of each batch. As of 29 June, the project had trained 1,846 candidates against a target of 2,737, with a placement rate of nine per cent — a figure the team resolved to address urgently.
The afternoon meeting was attended by the principals of seven Salesian schools implementing the school component of the Vista Project. The principals reviewed the STEM education programme for Classes 6 and 7, and the Junior Technician or Animation course for Classes 9 and 10. They raised concerns about timetable integration, the lack of advance syllabi, and the absence of an academic assessment linked to the programme to motivate students to take it seriously. The meeting agreed that each school would recommend a science teacher to be formally engaged by DB Tech for Classes 9 and 10, and that practical training kits could be brought to the school campuses rather than requiring students to travel to the Skill Training Centres. With summer vacation beginning on 1 July, all preparatory work — syllabi, lesson plans, and school enrolment data — must be completed to enable a well-structured rollout in August 2026.
Both meetings reflected the province’s commitment to ensuring that its institutions provide genuine skill development and educational enrichment for the youth of lower Assam.
News Courtesy: Fr Joy Kachappilly SDB
